Workplace Counseling & Solutions

With roots in labor and employment law, Seyfarth Shaw offers its clients the distinct advantage of decades of employment counseling experience and practical application of workplace solutions.

Our attorneys have served as former in-house attorneys, consultants, litigators, and human resources professionals—offering yet another dimension to our practice to better serve our clients. We not only offer our clients legal advice but practical advice, having been in their shoes and understanding the pressures of day-to-day business operations. In our long tenure as a leading labor and employment firm, we have assembled a group of employment law counselors who are highly regarded among clients and peers. Among our ranks, we have attorneys who author and edit books, manuals and other publications that are widely used to train human resources professionals. Several of our attorneys also teach employment law courses at major universities specifically tailored to the human resources professional.

Employment litigation can be very distracting and expensive—both in terms of the legal fees and the disruption caused to an employer’s day-to-day business operations. It is crucial for employers to establish effective human resources management strategies in order to avoid costly litigation, lengthy government investigations and other outside party intervention with their business operations.

Complying with ever-evolving employment laws can be a challenge, especially as new and complex issues continue to emerge. For instance, the United States’ increased overseas military presence demands that employers be aware of their military leave obligations. As Congress focuses on border patrol issues and debates immigration policies, companies need to be vigilant about how newly hired employees are classified and treated. As the number of same-sex domestic partnerships and marriages proliferate and become increasingly acceptable in society, businesses need to review their benefits policies to ensure compliance with applicable laws. This is only a sampling of the myriad employment issues currently receiving national attention. Other issues include those involving wage and hour regulations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), employee privacy, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), workforce restructuring, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and affirmative action.

Seyfarth’s Workplace Counseling and Solutions Practice Group has a long history of operating at the forefront of employment law jurisprudence. We are experienced in the full range of employment-related matters and are well versed in the federal and state laws that govern employer/employee relationships. With a national footprint in the U.S., we have in-depth knowledge of laws across all states and are able to mobilize teams of Seyfarth attorneys to address issues that are faced by employers with multi-state operations.

We use our industry knowledge and legal acumen to provide our clients with practical advice and proactive strategies designed to both ensure compliance and manage litigation risk. Our lawyers have broad experience reviewing and drafting all forms of employment policies and procedures, handbooks, applications, performance evaluation forms, offer letters, employment contracts and all other documents that have an impact on the employment relationship. We regularly design and present training programs tailored to individual client needs and have developed personnel audits to assist employers in complying with various employment laws and minimize their exposure to class action litigation. Firm attorneys conduct multi-state surveys concerning various aspects of employment law impacted by state law, and because of the breadth of our employment law practice, we are able to make the results of these important surveys available to clients with multi-state operations at a price considerably lower than would be charged if the work was done pursuant to a specific request by a single client.

Our London office operates as Seyfarth Shaw (UK) LLP, an affiliate of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. Seyfarth Shaw (UK) LLP is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with registered number 556927.

Legal services provided by our Australian practice are provided by the Australian legal practitioner partners and employees of Seyfarth Shaw Australia, an Australian partnership.

Our Hong Kong office "Seyfarth Shaw," a registered foreign law firm, is a Hong Kong sole proprietorship and is legally distinct and independent from Seyfarth Shaw LLP, an Illinois limited liability partnership, and its other offices.